Pune airport resumes ops hours after IAF fighter jet’s ‘hard landing’ – what had gone wrong? | India News
New Delhi: Flight operations have resumed at the Pune airport after an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft was completed on “war footing”.In a social media post at X, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohal said that runway repair work at Pune airport has been completed and air traffic is expected to return to normal gradually.“The runway at Pune airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving an IAF aircraft. The runway repair work has since been carried out on a war footing, with maintenance of safety as the highest priority,” Mohol said.“Departure operations will resume from 07:30 AM and arrival operations from 08:00 AM. Air traffic in Pune is expected to gradually return to normal during the day,” he added.Advice on airlines issuesAccording to the airport director, 31 arrivals, 34 departures of IndiGo, 3 arrivals, 3 departures of Air India, 3 departures of SpiceJet, 2 arrivals, 3 departures of Aaksha Air and 5 arrivals and 5 departures of Air India have been cancelled.IndiGo has issued an advisory and requested passengers to check the flight status before proceeding to the airport.“We understand the inconvenience caused by the continued unavailability of the runway at Pune Airport and are truly sorry for the impact it may have had on your travel plans. This situation is beyond our control, and we are working closely with the authorities concerned to manage the impact,” the airline said in a social media post.We are proactively informing customers about their registered contact details along with updates on their bookings. We also recommend checking your flight status before heading to the airport. If your flight is affected, you can choose an alternate flight or opt for a full refund through Plan B,” it added.According to defense sources, involved in this incident Sukhoi 30 MKi aircraftHowever, the IAF has not confirmed the type of aircraft.“A fighter jet experienced an undercarriage failure at around 10.25 pm, which blocked the runway,” Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke said.“It is currently located in the middle of the runway. Efforts are on to move it to the taxiway. According to IAF ATC, it will take 4-5 hours to clear the runway as cranes and heavy machinery are deployed,” he added.
